Electric block-signal system.



P. J. SIMMEN.

ELECTRIC BLOCK SIGNAL SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 28, 1907.

Patented Nov. 10, 1908.

9 SHEETS-$111131 1.

ear/0+,

Affom y P. J. SIMMEN.

ELEUTRIG BLOCK SIGNAL SYSTEM. APPLIQATION FILED JAN. 20. 1907.

Patented Nov. 10, 1908.

2 SHEETS-BHEET 2.

California, Improvements in I track; Fig. locomotive cal),

sections 2, from each other, ends of said sections ever by an el the UNITED STATES PATENT orrion To allwlwm it may concern:

Be it known that I, PAUL J. SIMMEN, a

land, in the county of Alameda anc systems for railw upon the electric which a United to me, May 1st,

to render such a system cape used in connection with an electric railroe a continuous current, so that the return circuit for the car repulsion cur- 10 contacts with the rail 4 rent through both rai s of the trackway.

operated by enlarged view of a sum 4 is e diagrammatic View of a. showing the circuit therein; Fig. 5 is a side view of the same to show the contact shoe.

as shown at 15 the r ils.

vence, a contact mi The general con the same as in my -Thus, there are three contact rails 4, 5, 6, at

one side of the track respectively connected should pass by one rail only, viz., the conby the wires 7, 8, 9, with the sections in ad-; tinuous rail 1. It is desirable for many and each section 2 is connected with reasons that both rails he used tel transmit l 34 on theother side of the trank this return current. and the contact rails 35, 86, at the other side l V Glectric Block-Signal toms, of which the following is a spec fication.

which are electrically separated as shown at 3, the adjacent passage betw PAUL J. SIMMEN, OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA ELECTRIC BLOO'K SIGNAL SYB'LEM.

track shown in Fig. 1; F 3 IS a still more 7, the whcehaxle thereof, section 2, wire 7 1% portion of such and contact-rail 4. Thus the signal 29 is actuated. In like iii-sinner should there be e train on the next. section but one in advance at the time of arrival of the succeeding 1 train at the end of any section a similar cir Referring to the drawings, 1 indicates an cuit will he closed through the rail.- electrically continuous rail of the track. contact nmker 11, actuating the si nal F50, The other rail of the track is divided into and in like manner a signal 31 will c artir ated should there he a train on the next sec tion but two in advance. being connected howseen that this system can be extended to any cctricul conductor 14 arranged number of sections h v to form an inductive res1stnumber of contact-rails ance offering sufficient impedance to prevent een adjacent section ends or effect.

Patented Nov. 50, 1008..

the wires 38, 39, with the crn'rtael rails 34;, 35 in advance. The contact makers .10, ll, 12, citizen of the United States, residiu r at Oakare provided, before, to coulim-t with the l State of rails 4, 5, 6, respectively but now l ad by the have invented new and useful wires :20, 2], 542, through the switches .3

25, to a source of alternating thence the currents pass to th signals some, 31, and by the wire 82, and wheel axle 1125, to This invention relates to electrical. block the rail sections 2 all us before.

ave, being an improvement shoes 14, 4:5, 46, may be provided, as before, al block signal system for adapted to contact with the rails 34, 35, 36 States patent was granted respectively connected with the switches .22,

24, 25, by the wires 47., 48, The object of the present im rovement is seen that with this arrangeme lile of bein be a train upon a. section of the track in o nt shoul (l the re Vance when the locomotive arrives end of any section so that the contact-ma at the end of said ll be apprised section then the engineer W1 following cirthereof by the closure of the In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 cult; contact-nmker 10, wire 20, switch 2 is a diagrammatic view of a track equipped alternator 26, signal 29, wire 32, whe: with my improved signal system, operating 33, all in the locomotive of the tr on trains running in either direction; Fig. 2 rear, thence by the rail 1 to the train in ad is an enlarged detail view of a portion of the Vance, the wheel-axle thereof, section 2, wire It will readily lie providing a proper and contact-maker's.

The word rail in the claims is to he understood as sufiiciently broad to include of the alternating signal current, but of low any piece of metal which wil enough ohmic resistance to ailord a path for with a moving contact on :1 tr the continuous car propulsion current of a cient length of time to give th cond otivity equal to or greater than that of nul or ot In applying the electrical block signal struction of my system is system of my patent above referred to to patent above referred to. an electrical our line it is necessa the return current for propelling t e car 1 make contact am tor a sum-- edesired slgpresent invention permits this to be done in all cases where a of the track are respectively connected by continuous current is used for propelling the car, without interfering with the operation 'of said block system used with an alternatconductors forming inductive resistances to permit the passage of a continuous current and prevent the passageof an alternating current, a contact rail, arranged adjacent to each such section at a convenient point there for, an electrical connection between each contact rail and a section in advance of the section to which it is adjacent, a contact maker carried by the locomotive, a signalin device carried by the locomotive correspon ng with the contact maker, a circuit through the signal device to the wheel-axle, and means for supplying an alternating current to said circuit, substantially as described.

2. In an electrical block-3i al 5 'siem for railways, the combination 0 an e ectricaliy continuous rail of a track, sections of the other rail of the track, connected only by conductors forming inductive resistances to permit the passage of a continuous current and prevent the of an alternating current, a grou of contact rails, arranged adjacent to eac each section at convenient points therefor, electrical connection between each member of said group and sections in advance of the section to which they are adjacent, a correspondinf group of contact-makers carried by the ocomotive, signaling devices carried by the locomotive corresponding with the respective contact-makcrs, circuits throu h the respective signaling devices to the w eel-axle, and means for supplying an alternatin current to said circuits, substantially as escrihcd.

- 3. In an electrical hlocksi nal s stem for railways, the combination 0 an o ectrically continuous rail of a track, sections of the other rail of the track, connected only by conductors forming inductive resistances to permit the passage of a continuous current and prevent the passage of an alternating current, a series of contact-rails adjacent to each such section at a convenient point thereof, an electrical connection between the first member of said series with the next section inadvance, an electrical connection between each succeeding member of the series with the preceding member of the series adjacent to t c section in advance, a corres nding series of contact-makers carried b t e 1000- motive, individual circuits throng i said contact-makers, signaling devices, said circuits g witnesses.

PAUL J. SIMMEN.

Witnesses FRANCIS M. WRIGHT, D. B. RICHARDS. 

